Miliband criticises childcare cost

Labour leader Ed Miliband has attacked the Government's failure to provide cheap childcare. He will claim the cost of a nursery price has risen by 30% since 2010 - almost five times faster than the average wage.

Big banks should pay for extended free childcare to help ease cost of living pressures on families, Ed Miliband has told Daybreak.

The Labour leader said he wants to extend the free childcare for three and four-year-olds from 15 to 25 hours a week, which he claims would be the equivalent of about £1,500 a year saving for families who "are really struggling to cope.

"The banks are actually making very big profits and I think they can afford a bit more to help families," he said.

"It's one of those things that is going to be good for the country, because not every parent is going to want to work... but seven out of 10 mums are saying 'I want to go back to work but I can't because of the cost of childcare'".

Ed Miliband has vowed to make adequate, cost effective childcare part of his "One Nation Labour" vision.

In a speech expected later today, the Labour leader will offer to extend the hours three and four-year-olds can spend on a free nursery place.

One Nation Labour would stand up for families and make work pay. We would extend free nursery places for three and four year-olds from 15 to 25 hours a week for parents at work.

And we would offer a legal guarantee to parents with kids at primary school that they can access breakfast clubs or homework clubs, allowing mums and dads to do a full days' work knowing their children are safe and cared for."

The closure of Sure Start centres has made life harder for families as they fight for dwindling nursery places, Labour will say. Credit: PA

The Government's decision to close Sure Start children's centres has exacerbated the lack of childcare in the UK and left families struggling to find adequate care on a tight budget, Labour are expected to say.

Labour leader Ed Miliband will point out that there are 35,000 fewer childcare places and 576 fewer Sure Start centres since the last general election in a wide-ranging speech on childcare later today.

Mr Miliband is pushing childcare as a major feature of Labour's campaign to focus on the "cost of living crisis" ahead of the next general election.

He will say: "An average of three Sure Start centres is being lost every single week, contributing to a total of 35,000 fewer childcare places under David Cameron. And all at a time when the number of children under-fours in England has risen by 125,000."

The Opposition leader launched Labour's childcare policies at September's party conference, including an extension of free childcare for three and four year-olds to 25 hours a week for working parents, paid for by a levy on banks.